Demands on Doncaster’s adult social care

Kate Mason

Demands on Doncaster’s under-strain adult social care services are set to increase after it was revealed the number of residents aged over 65 is expected to rise by 18,000 over the next 15 years.

A report discussed at Doncaster Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board yesterday highlighted a number of key challenges that face adult social care in the borough as health bosses try and cope with the demands of serving an increasing ageing population.

The report states: “Doncaster has an ageing population and, compared to similar areas, has poor health outcomes.

“This is particularly true when measured as disability-free life expectancy.

“This implies that Doncaster could face a future with an ageing population which is also living with above-average levels of disability.”

The report said the number of people aged 65 or over is estimated to reach 27,700 by 2030 .

The report said the age of disability-free life expectancy in the town was below the national average.

Disability free life expectancy for Doncaster men is 60.1 years and women 61.8 years – this means that men on average live 22.4 per cent of their lives with a disability and women 24.4 per cent.

The England average is 64 years in men and 65 years in women – representing a difference of almost four years in men and more than three years in women when compared with the Doncaster figures.

The news comes just months after Doncaster Council announced plans to slash funding for adult social care by £3.1 million over the next year.

The local authority aims to make the drastic saving by helping people to live in their own homes for longer using residential care as a last resort, not the default position.

Under the programme, the council aims to reduce the number of older people entering residential care by 119 over the next year.